All the hype currently surrounds Call of Duty and the Modern Warfare franchise. These games, in our eyes, are vastly over-rated, and this is why when Activision revealed that they would be releasing a handheld version for the DS we were quite cynical.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - Mobilized is impressive enough in terms of gameplay, with control of aiming taking place on the touchscreen while movement is done with the D-pad. When the environment is small enough, too, the visuals are actually very impressive, though expect some problems with framerate during heated firefights in the open. Another impressive point is the fact that it is fully voiced, with no writing, as far as we could see, appearing on the screen.

These points are, however, flattery for a game which became quite tedious very quickly. The AI in particular sucks, and while you can address this issue by taking it online the game just doesn't impress in the most basic of ways. If I were you, I'd try Modern Warfare: Reflex for the Wii...

We, at the House, found a new favourite game to play as winter turns to spring and we look longingly outside at the rain. Take a look here to see a preview and some trailers of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, and here for an extensive review.



One thing we found ourselves which was mentioned in the preview is the great dynamic lighting and good audio. Also, the realism applied to the flashlight is a really nice touch. While it has a great story and an incredibly haunting atmosphere (which does make it less suitable for younger gamers and any with a nervous disposition who find themselves jumping during the darker, creepier moments in Zelda!), the puzzles and objectives do, rather quickly, get quite competitive. If you enjoy the franchise, though, this probably won't be an issue. One last thing we have thought is that it is indeed too short and could have gone on longer, but that is us nitpicking!

Nintendo have announced the release of Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars for the Wii, the next in the "award-winning" game franchise. Any fan of the Lego series of games (and it's hard not to be when the Indiana Jones series is so good) will love the Star Wars version, and this is set to be the best yet.



The game is set for release in Autumn 2010, and will apparently keep most of the characters from its precursor from 3 years ago. We hope, too that it will keep the 2-player "arcade mode", and not disappoint those of us left who enjoy the dying art form that is the offline multiplayer game.

Other games in the Lego series available for the Wii include Lego Batman, Lego Rock Band and Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, set for release later this year which we'll have further news on soon...

The latest figures have been released, which show that Nintendo has been way out in front of Microsoft and Sony in the games market for the past 12 months. While Playstation 2 suffered a decrease in hardware sales in the UK, the DS continued to shine and even broke records by becoming the first console to sell over 10 million units, suggesting that over 15% of the population owns one.

All other games, however, were trounced by the much-hyped release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, with the US contributing to 70% of global sales. Super Mario Brothers Wii, despite only being released in December, also features in the top 5 games. Globally, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit sold over 7 million and 5 million units respectively, and bear in mind that these games are specific to one platform!

You can check out the top 5 here and see some further details on US and global sales in comparison to those in the UK.

A reminder to all those who have yet to download their WiiWare demos - you have only to the end of the month to get your free minigames. Among the highlights available are Final Fantasy's latest WiiWare game, Pokemon Rumble and World of Goo. Final Fantasy: My Life as a Dark Lord, however, does not seem to compare (from the demo at least) to its predecessor My Life as a King, so its worth a miss.

While Red Steel has often been slated as one of the worst shooter games for the latest generation of consoles (despite being highly enjoyable despite the many glitches which came from being one of the first releases for the brave release of the Wii) we are all in states of high anticipation awaiting the sequel. Look here to watch a trailer, and there'll be more to follow on its progress at the House of Nintendo.

Also, for any Zelda fan this is worth a look. It's an interesting insight into the world of Zelda when it was just a mere concept on graph paper. Little did they know it was a loved classic in the making.